Process for making phonograph-records.



J. W. AYLSWORTH.

PROCESS FOR MAKING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS.

APPLICATHON FILED MAY 29, I909.

Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI J. W. AYLSWORTH.

PROCESS FOR MAKING PHONOGRAPH RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1909.

1,146,386 Patented July 13, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. m5

" STATES PATENT OFFIQEO JONAS W. AYLSWORTH, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW JERSEY PATENT COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 113, 1915.

Application filed May 29, 1909. Serial'No. 499,103.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoNAs W. AYLswoirrH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, havemade a certain new and useful Invention in Processes for Making Phonograph-Records, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to the art of molding phonograph records and my ob ect is to provide a very hard and enduring phonograph record which has in addition other advantageous qualities.

My invention also has for its ob ect a process for producing such a record and an improved apparatus in which said process may be carried out.

My invention also comprises a process and means for forming in a novel manner a phonograph record having inwardly directed flanges or ends forming taper bearing surfaces, by which the cylindrical record may be seated upon a taper mandrel.

Other objects reside in the elements, combinations of parts, processes and sub-processes as hereinafter described. n

The process features of my nvention alone are clainied in this application. The article disclosed herein is claimed in my copending application Serial No. 30,197, filed May 24, 1915, which, as to certain features, is a division of this application.

In phonographic records both cylindrical and disk, particularly those in which more than 100 record threads per inch are provided, it is advantageous that the record composition should be as enduring as possible as to the wearing action of the stylus on the record, while at the same time the record should not act as an abrasive agent on the stylus. In addition to the qualities mentioned, and the other qualities which it is well known a phonograph record should have, the same should be capable of economical manufacture.

The compositions comprising final condensation products of phenols and formaldehydes combined with a final product solvent element, and with or without the addition of a water combining element, which are de scribed in my application Serial No. 496,060, filed May 14, 1909, and upon which U. S. Patent No. 1,102,630 has been granted, form materials admirably suited for the formation of such sound records into which they may conveniently be molded by the method hereinafter described. ferred to are insoluble in common solvents, infusibl'e at any temperature below that of their decomposition, and are normally nonplastic, but become sufficiently plastic for further working as by pressing in a mold on application of heat suflicient to produce a temperature of from 240 to 300 degrees F.

In the practice of my invention, tubes of the above mentioned composition are first formed in their final hardened condition, and these tubes or suitable lengths of the same are subsequently pressed in a heated matrix into intimate contact with the record surface of the mold.

Attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and illustrating one form of apparatus in which my improved process may be carried out.

In these drawings Figure 1 represents a vertical cross section of apparatus for form ing the tubes, parts of the apparatus being shown in elevation; Fig. 2- is a cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of a mold having a tube or record blank inserted therein, and Fig. 4 is a yertical cross section of apparatus for formmg in the mold a cylindrical record having tapered bearing surfaces.

Referring to the drawings, the tubes or record blanks are first formed by mixing the ingredients which react upon heating to form the final hardened composition together with the final product solvent ele' ment and, if desired, a water combining element, pouring the mixture while in a molten plastic condition in smooth bore metal tubes and rotating the same at suflicient speed to cause the mass to become uniformly distributed within the bore of the tubes, while at the same time heat is applied thereto during the rotation of the tubes suflieient to cause the hardening of the tubes so formed, by causing the blanks to pass from the molten plastic to the infusible condition. A large number of tubes containing the above de* scribed record composition may be mounted on wheel bearings, or in any other convenient manner to produce rotation thereof, in an oven in which the tubes and the contents thereof are at the same time heated by steam or dry heat.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the tubes 1 which are the matrices for the record blanks, are supported on rollers 52 The substances rewhich are mounted on horizontal shafts 3 supported by the frame member 4 within the oven 5 which is provided with door 6. The shafts or spindles 3 may be extended through the wall of the oven, and provided with pulleys '7 which are connected by a belt or belts as 8, one of the shafts 3 being provided with,a pulley 9 which is driven from any convenient source. It is, of course, obvious that the various shafts 3 may be connected by gearing or any other suitable means for obtaining uniform rotation of the same. The hollow tubes 1 should be provided with inwardly projecting annular shoulders 10 at the ends thereof to prevent the flowing of the molten composition out of the ends. As stated, the tubes are heated during their rotation and the consequent formation of the cylindrical blanks in any suitable manner to cause the reaction to ensue by which the final hardened product is formed. I have illustrated in the drawings the pipe 11 introduced into the oven and provided with burners 12 by which this heating is accomplished. The tubes 1 should be rotated at sufficient speed to provide a centrifugal force suflicient to counteract the evolution of dissociation gases in the molten material. On the completion of the reaction and formation of the record blanks, the matrices and contents are cooled below the temperature at which the blanks are plastic, and subsequently the blanks may be cooled further to shrink the same away from the tube matrices in order to withdraw the blanks therefrom, or the blanks may be withdrawn from the oven in any other convenient manner. The blanks forming the tubes 1 may be of the proper length for forming phonograph records therefrom, or if desired, they may be made very much longer than the phonograph records which they are desired to form, and subsequently cut into suitable lengths for pressing in the matrix to form the desired records.

To form a phonograph record by my improved process, a record blank as 13 is inserted within a suitable mold as 1 1, which is preferably provided with an annular end piece 15 at one end thereof and with a curved inwardly projecting surface 16 at the other end. The container 17 of rubber or other suitable elastic material is placed within the blank 13 and the fluid pressure connection 18 placed within the container 17. The cylindrical member 19 is screwed on the pipe or pressure connection 18 tofit within the ring 15 of the mold l4 and adjusted so that the inner face of the cylinder 19 projects a short distance inwardly from the inner face of the ring 15. The pressure connection 18 is provided with means for introducing a fluid under pressure 20 into the interior thereof and with radial openings 21 by which the same may be allowed to pass from the pipe 18 into theconta'iner-17. The pressure connection 18 is provided at its forward end with a cylindrical portion of enlarged diameter, which is adapted, when the device is assembled, to fit snugly within shoulder 23 caused by the inward projection of surfaces 16 of the mold 14. The parts are so adjusted that the inner'surface of cylindrical member 22 extends somewhat inwardly beyond the inner edge of the shoulder 23. The parts assembled as described are placed within a suitable oven 24, which may be provided with any suitable means for heating and cooling the same, as the coiled pipes 25 in the annular chamber 26. The oven may be closed by the end member or ring 27 which is mounted to fit around the ring 19 and the mold 14 and to fit within the cylindrical walls of the oven 24.

The container .17 is preferably formed as indicated in such a manner that on the application of pressure within the same, it will expand at the center, and thereafter, on application of more pressure, expand progres sively from the center in both directions toward each end as far diametrically as the matrix will allow. This result may be achieved by making the container 17 of rubber or other suitable elastic material, thinnest at a section midway between the ends and progressively uniformly in thickness from such section toward the two ends.

\Vhen the matrix, record blank and parts, as above described, have been inserted within the oven, the same is heated to such a point that the record blank becomes sufficiently plastic to be expanded or pressed into intimate contact with the record surface of the matrix. A suitable fluid is then admitted through pipe 18 into the interior of the container. Any fluid suitable for the purpose may be used, such a fluid being, for example, castor oil. On application of this pressure, the container 17 bulges outward, first at its least resisting point which is in the center. On application of more pressure the container 17 expands progressively in both directions from the center whereby the material in the plastic tube 13 is caused to flow from the center toward each end in addition to the movement of the outer surface of the record blank into intimate contact with the record grooves of the matrix. .As the plastic material is forced axially it drives the air contained between the container 17 and the mold 14 axially ahead of it and out at each end where it escapes between the surface 22 and the shoulder 23 at one end, and the member 27 and rings 15 and 19 at the other end, these joints not being air-tight. The plastic material is drawn or forced along the curved surface 16 at one end of the record .until it abuts the cylindrical surface 22, and along the curved surface of the inner face of ring 15 until it abuts the cylindrical surface of the ring 19. By this means bearing flanges or rings are formed at the ends of the record cylinder, these flanges or rings having surfaces formed by the cylinders 22 and 19 by which the record may be supported on a taper mandrel, the dialneters of cylinders 19 and 22 being chosen to produce the desired taper. After the conclusion of the pressing operation, the steam in the steam jacket may be replaced by cold water and after a few seconds the record 13 will then cool sufiiciently to be no longer plastic, when the pressure within'the pipe 18 may be relieved and the pressure connection withdrawn. The mold may then be further cooled to cause the record to contract sutliciently to be extracted therefrom, or the record may be extracted from the mold in any other desired manner. The record when extracted is entirely finished except for the detail of filling in the pigment on the label of the same.

It should be noted that the process and apparatus described for forming a record having tapered bearing surfaces from a cylindrical blank may be practised in connection with the formation of records from other plastic materials than those specifically described. It is also obvious that disk sound records may be formed of the phenol condensation product above referred to and invented by me, by forming suitable blanks of the infusible final condensation product, rendering the same plastic by application of sufiicient heat, and pressing into intimate contact with the record surface of a suitable mold.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:

- 1. The process of manufacturing phonograph records which comprises causing the material of the inner portion of a cylindrical blankof suitable material in plastic condition to flow from a line intermediate the ends toward the ends of the blank While pressing the latter into contact with the mold surface of a suitable mold, substantially as described.

2. The process of manufacturing phonograph records which comprises causing the material of the inner portion of a cylindrical blankto flow longitudinally of the blank toward the ends thereof while pressing the latter into contact with the mold surface of a suitable mold, substantially as described.

3. The process of manufacturing phonograph records, consisting in pressing a cylindrical blank of suitable material in plastic condition into contact with the record surface of a suitable mold by applying pressure first to the bore of the blank in a section between the two ends, to expand the blank into contact with the mold, and while maintaining such pressure, to progressively apply pressure to the bore of the blank over every section thereof from the first mentioned section to the two ends and maintaining the same, whereby some of the material of the blank is caused to flowfrom the first mentioned section toward the two ends, substantially as described.

4. The process of manufacturing phono-' graph records. consisting in pressing a cylindrical blank of suitable material in plastic condition into contact with the record surface of a suitable mold by applying pres sure first to the bore of the blank in a section between the two ends, to expand the blank into contact with the mold, and while maintaining such pressure, to progressively apply pressure to the bore of the blank over every section thereof from the first mentioned section to the two ends and maintaining the same, whereby some of the material of the blank is caused to fiow from the first mentioned section toward the two ends, and form inwardly projecting bearing surfaces at such ends, rendering the record nonplastic and withdrawing the same from the mold, substantially as described.

5. The process of manufacturing phonograph records or blanks consisting in rendering a cylinder of suitable material plastic within a suitable mold, forcing a part of the material of the bore of'the cylinder while plastic to flow inwardly toward the axis of the cylinder to form inwardly directed flanges adapted to support the cylinder upon a phonograph mandrel, substantially the whole of said flanges being formed by said flow, causing the cylinder to harden, and removing it from the mold, substantially as described.

6. The process of manufacturing phonograph records or blanks consisting in pressing a blank cylinder of suitable material in plastic condition against the mold surface of a suitable mold and causing some of the plastic material of the cylinder to flow longitudinally of the cylinder toward the ends thereof and then to flow inwardly toward the axis of the cylinder to form at the ends of the cylinder bearing flanges adapted to support the cylinder upon a phonograph mandrel, substantially as described.

7. The process of forming sound records which comprises heating to reaction temperature'in a rotating mold a composition containing ingredients which react on application of sufficient heat to form a final hardened phenolic condensation product, said composition containing also a final product solvent, substantially as described.

8. The process of forming sound records which comprises heating to a reaction temperature in a rotating mold a composition containing ingredients which react on application of suflicient heat to form a final hardened phenolic condensation product, said composition containing also a final product solvent, removing the blank thus formed from the mold, rendering the same plastic by application of heat, and pressing a sound record thereon, substantially as described.

9. The process of manufacturing sound records which comprises causing a cylindrical blank upon the outer surface of which the record is to be formed to first intimately contact a mold at a point intermediate its ends and then progressively toward its ends, substantially as described.

10. The process of manufacturing sound records which comprises causing a cylindrical blank upon the outer surface of which the record is to be formed to first intimately contact a mold at a point substantially midway between its ends and then progressively toward its ends, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th dayof May 1909.

JONAS W. AYLSWORTH.

Witnesses:

DYER SMITH, JOHN M. CANFIELD 

